Damaged Goods
by the-sketch-book
Summary: Rory x Blaine friendship. Blaine finds the new kid curious and after an awkward first meeting, they become friends. But maybe dwelling into Rory's private life brings ruptures into his own. M for violence, language and abuse. Blangst and Flanagangst.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, I'm starting this new story which is basically full to the brim with angst because angst will forever be the best thing. Ever. Let me know what you think with a review so I know where to improve, etc. I've already got the second chapter written but I want to see if you all actually like this one first. The angst won't _really_ start until the next chapter, this is just to get the story settled in. Also, I'm keeping these chapters rather short (around 1,500 words-ish) because then I'll be more motivated to update more. Anyway, enjoy.**

**I don't own any of the characters or places, it all belongs to Fox and Ryan Murphy, blady blah. **

"Do you think we should go talk to him?" a curious Blaine asked, looking over at the poor boy sitting alone on the table next to him. "He looks kinda lonely" he added as he looked back over to Kurt and Rachel.

"No" Rachel snapped, turning attention to her - where in her eyes it rightfully belonged. "We need to redesign these posters since you two didn't take a liking to my original, brilliant idea." she huffed, drawing a circle on the page and labelling it.

Kurt let out an over-dramatic sigh, "Rachel. As much as I admire your talent, a poster with a picture of you saying; 'Come sing back up for me in Glee' isn't exactly a relishing thought." Kurt droned as he zoned out, staring at one of the cafeteria walls, bored out of his mind.

Blaine's mind however was still strangely adverted to the boy sitting alone. "I bet he's new" he said, completely unaware that Rachel and Kurt probably had no clue that he was still talking about the boy. He looked over to his friends and watched as their eyes squinted a little in confusion. "You know what?" Blaine said, standing up and not asking for an answer. "I'll be right back".

And with that, Blaine swiftly picked up his lunch tray and left within a heartbeat. Rachel and Kurt both raised their eyebrows giving each other curious looks. Just why was Blaine was so interested in this boy?

"Hey" Blaine said, catching the boy's attention. "Is this seat free?" Blaine gestured to the unoccupied seat opposite him. The boy didn't speak, he simply gave Blaine a nod and a small forced smile. Blaine followed suit and sat opposite him.

Upon closer inspection, the boy was wearing a fading green shirt and had fluffy hair swept a little messily to the side. The boy's head was low but you could just make out his eyes, they were red. Had he been crying?

They sat there for a minute, not really sure where this was going. The boy slowly started absent mindlessly playing with his food, circling his fork around a bowl of the school's plasticky looking pasta. Blaine hesitantly made conversation, "You're new here, aren't you?"

The boy chose not to answer out loud again, just giving Blaine another nod, not looking up from the bowl.

"I'm Blaine" he held out his hand across the table for him to shake. "Looks like you could use someone to talk to?" he smiled.

The boy hesitated before answering, "Rory Flanagan" he stated quietly, shaking Blaine's hand in return. "I'm surprised you want to talk to me" Rory whispered, looking down at his food again feeling uncomfortable when he saw Blaine's facial expression change.

Blaine cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Not many people want to speak to th'a new lad." He interrupted himself, "Unless it's shouting abuse."

"I'm sure that's not true. I mean, I'm talking to you now, right?" Blaine interjected, giving Rory a warm, comforting smile. "And wow. I love your accent, it's Irish isn't it?" Blaine added, not noticing the boy's thick Northern Irish accent when they first started talking.

Rory found a goofy smile appear on his face, "Most of the lads here take th'a mick out of me for it".

"I don't see why!" Blaine chuckled, holding out his pack of cookies, gesturing for Rory to take one. This kid seemed like a nice guy. Blaine knew how tough it was trying to get people to see the person behind the steriotypes, he'd been faced with the problem himself.

"Thanks" Rory said as he let his hand find it's way into the packet. No one had been this nice to him since he'd been here in America.

Blaine and Rory found themselves smiling lightly until Blaine changed the subject, noticing the Irish boy's bloodshot eyes again as they crinkled with Rory's weak grin. "Um, sorry to ask but have you been crying?"

Rory froze.

"Um" he mustered before the sound of the end of lunch bell rang out. Literally saved by the bell. "Err, it was grand meeting ya. I have t'a be off now" he said as he frantically got up from his chair, giving Blaine a quick wave before he sprinted out of the cafeteria, leaving what left of a not so desirable looking lunch.

Blaine furrowed his brow before he noticed a book with Rory's name and classroom number on it left next to his lunch tray. "Hey!" Blaine called, not realising Rory was already several hallways away.

Blaine looked back over to Kurt and Rachel to see them quickly look away, because they definitely weren't spying on their conversation. Nope. Definitely not. Not at all.

* * *

Blaine had planned on studying for his geometry test during his free period but that was cut short when he planned to help out his new - "friend?" Were they at the stage yet? He shook his slightly to himself. He had decided to go to the classroom that was written on Rory's book in hopes of returning it to him.

When he finally got to room 143 he glanced in the window trying to see if Rory was actually in there and Blaine wasn't following a wild goose chase. His eyes dotted around some familiar faces until he spotted Rory sitting alone at the back of the classroom. Blaine watched with sad eyes as he witnessed a few jocks throw screwed up balls of paper at the boy's face. Blaine stood the other side of the door to see Ms. Levine sitting and doing nothing about it, simply hovering her dull eyes over her book for a few moments. _What kind of teacher reads 50 Shades of Grey in a school anyway?_

Blaine's eyes quickly shot back to Rory, realising he didn't want to think about Miss Levine's sex life. He watched Rory's wide eyes as he opened up the screwed balls of paper and read a message that seemed to really make the boy look like a sad puppy. Rory sank into his chair, looking so small and fragile.

Blaine wanted to charge in there, stand up for Rory and knock those bullies back a peg or two. But he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything constructive in a situation like that. He simply took a step back and waited for the end of lesson bell.

After what felt like forever, the bell sounded from above and Blaine quickly stood up at the sound, briskly moving towards the classroom door to see everyone standing up from their seats. Blaine quickly moved back and out of the way as the students bustled out.

Rory was one of the last to leave and as he did he was rammed into the nearest locker by one of the jocks behind him.

"Go back to Mexico, Leprechaun!" grunted the towering jock, known around school as Rick "The Stick" as he passed with a group of his equally large team, grunting and laughing at Rory's pain.

Rory fell to floor, his head hitting the doorway harshly. He let out a quiet shout of pain so as the jocks wouldn't hear him before a figure ran over to him holding out a hand to help.

"Ignore the jocks. They'll lay off eventually." Blaine said as he lifted Rory to his feet.

"Err, cheers!" Rory made out whilst his brain instantly rattled at his skull.

Blaine gave him a supportive smile but his eyes lit up at a thought. He swung his backpack off his shoulder and picked out a book from inside, "I believe this belongs to you?" he said holding out the book.

Rory plastered a smile before nodding as if to say 'thank you', putting the book in his bag.

"I guess I'll you around?" Blaine asked.

Rory looked up from his bag, "Yeah, I'd like that" Rory said before glancing at his watch. "Ah, I have to go, I'm already late."

"I've got my car, I can go past your way when I go home if you-"

"No, no. It's fine, really. Thanks though" Rory interrupted. And with that, Rory bolted around the corner out of sight. _Was that kid always running off places?_

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he was shoved into the locker that Rory had hit only a moment ago. Two jocks grunted of the success of the other jock's violence. "Fucking queer!" one of them shouted as they walked off. _This is going to be a long year._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so here's the second chapter and as promised, ANGSTY! Though this is chapter is completely Rory-centered, the next chapter is Blaine centered for some Blangst so don't worry, they'll get their equal share or sadness.**

Rory's journey home was anything but easy. His feet couldn't carry him fast enough as he literally sprinted to the elementary school a few blocks down from McKinley. He passed other students on their way home who shot him looks as he sprinted past them, trying to stay out their way as best as he could. He wasn't set on them though, he only wanted to care about one thing. And there he was, his little brother, Seamus waiting with his teacher by the school gate.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, mate" Rory managed to get out between heavy breaths. He mouthed a sorry to the teacher standing over Seamus who gave him the "This is tenth time this has happened and it better not happen again" nod.

"It's okay." Seamus said with a grin. "Bye Mrs Adams" he waved off before taking hold of his brother's hand. For a boy in such an awful situation, he didn't half look at life with so much optimism.

Seamus was five years old - _well, five and a half if you didn't want to be corrected_ - and the spitting image of Rory when was that age and would surely look like Rory did now in ten years. He had short brown hair much like his brother's and carried the same, infectious smile that Rory had. Well, used to have.

The house was only a short distance away from Seamus' school but the poor lad was already tuckered out by the time they got halfway there, so Rory gave him a piggy-back the for last two minutes of the walk.

They finally found their way around the back of some corner shops where there house lied, perfectly lined up with other house built exactly the same. Their house was small and was made up of old, red bricks, small windows and an overgrowing garden that din't look too inviting. From the outside, it looked like a nice family home. (Just in need of a gardener!)

You'd be wrong to assume so soon.

The interior of the house was dull and lifeless as though someone had sucked all the colour out of the rooms. There were grey walls, faded carpets and no sight of anything a normal family home had. School photo's, a pet, a T.V. and family portraits were nowhere to be seen. But this was something Rory had adjusted to. Seamus didn't need to adjust, he was born into it.

The Flanagan's weren't like normal families, they were damaged goods. Rory would never tell anyone why his family was so broken, ripping at the seams, he wouldn't even let his brother know everything about their situation, he was just too young for all this. It was too late for Rory but he'd do anything to keep Seamus, the one thing he loved, safe. But what Seamus didn't know, was that he was Rory's rock. The was the one thing that Rory kept fighting for. If it wasn't for him, he sad truth was that Rory probably wouldn't have let himself live this long.

Rory unlocked the front door, his brother having to duck his head since he was still on Rory's back. The older boy, leant down to let Seamus get of safely with a small thud before crouching down to his brother's level.

"You'll never guess what I've got you today" Rory said as he watched Seamus quickly perk up in anticipation. "I saved you a chocolate bar" Rory smiled as his brother produced a wide grin at the sight of the food that Rory pulled out of his jacket pocket.

"Thanks, Ror's!" The look on his face was priceless, any other kid would only give a look like that at the sight of brand new toy. But truth was, food was short in the Flanagan house and Rory would always make sure his brother was fed before himself.

"It's okay, Champ. Now you get yourself upstairs, you know the drill." Seamus nodded and knotted his hands together around the chocolate bar.

Rory watched his brother attempt to open the packet and fail miserably. "Need some help?" he asked taking the bar from Seamus who folded his arms and pouted in defeat as Rory easily opened the wrapper. His pout instantly disappeared when he was given back the small bar of chocolate which he ate within seconds.

"C'mon, let's get upstairs" Rory said as he picked up his brother playfully, whizzing him around as he ran up the stairs. "You're flying!" Rory laughed as he saw his brother produce a huge toothy grin. Times like this were when Rory actually had a genuine smile.

"No." Seamus said when Rory finally put him down on the top step. "I'm falling with style!" he continued, mustering up the best Buzz Lightyear impression he could, with actions and everything.

Rory couldn't help but continue to smile again at how simple his brother made any situation. Here they were, about to endure another night of living hell but he still kept a grin on his face the way no other five year old could.

This was a nice moment, something Rory wanted to remember. He mentally took everything in wanting this to last forever. That was until the sound of a car pulling on the drive with a screech suddenly rang in their ears. It rang trouble. Rory and Seamus, without a word quickly rushed into their room, Rory locking it behind them with the key attached to the chain on his jeans. This was their routine, a routine that no kid should be used to, regardless if they're five _or _fifteen.

"You okay, Champ?" he whispered as they sat on the floor together, crossed legged with Seamus already in his arms. Seamus didn't reply, he just nodded, knowing that they needed to keep as quiet as possible.

_He shouldn't be so used to this._ This was the reason their family was so broken and damaged. One person was the source of everything wrong with their lives.

Their Dad.

The sound of the door flinging open and hitting the wall followed by the crash of a bottle hitting the floor always screamed trouble. They live with this every night of their lives, but they'd be safe locked in their room. They always were.

"Fuck! All! This! Shit!" Their father shouted, slamming his fists at the wall with every word. "I should fucking kill everything. Everyone"

Rory covered Seamus' head as he always did, rubbing circles in his back as his brother's small frame literally shook with fear. Seamus had gotten so much stronger since this started happening, he used to cry himself to sleep in Rory's arms.

But Rory couldn't cry. He wasn't aloud to cry. He was meant to be the strong one, the one who needed to protect his brother at all costs.

But when he's alone, in the school bathrooms or at lunch breaks at the back of school, he'll cry like a baby. Years of anger, abuse and loss. It was all to much for him sometimes.

Rory attempted to think of other things to take his mind of the situation._ I hit a close call with Blaine today._ He thought, swallowing a lump in his throat. _If he had found out about anything after realising I was crying then we would-_

His thoughts were stopped instantly, he hadn't payed attention to his father sloppily make his way up the stairs before the bangs on the door started._ Again. _

"Fucking let me in. I'll kill ya. I'll fucking kill ya, you hear?" he shrieked as he wracked his fists at the door.

Seamus started to shake a little more in Rory's lap. "Shh, shh, it's okay" Rory whispered, cradling his brother a little tighter.

Rory quietly hummed into Seamus' ear, stopping to whisper words of comfort.

"Shh, it's okay."

"You're fine, don't worry, Champ."

Rory attempts were never strong enough to block out the sounds from behind the door. "Fucking kids! You're the reason everything fell to shite! Everything!" The door literally shook at the impact and Rory winced a bit. If that door opened then he didn't even know what would happen.

Rory closed his eyes as the banging started to cease and the sound of their father dragging his feet across the hall, mumbling something to himself let them take a sigh slightly in relief. It was all too much for Rory to cope with but the only problem was: he _had _to cope with it, there wasn't a choice. Telling someone wouldn't be an option, this was a battle they had to fight on their own.

He slowly started to drift off, trying to stay awake incase their father returned again like he had done every night before but his eyelids weren't cooperating and he slowly... drifted... off...

**A/N: Reviews good or bad are very much appreciated. Thanks for your time. Be ready for some Blangst and more Flanagangst in the next chapter. Ah, you can tell I love angst. But I'm guessing you all do too...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, so as promised, the next few chapters are really focused on Blaine, (And his growing friendship with Rory). Special thanks to: monkiimax, Hount-Walf, curiouscharlie, Hollywood Girl, .Riso and Alex Zin _(oh my god, I'mma huge fan of Consequences!)_ for reviewing the last two chapters, you're all the reason I was motivated to do this one.**

Rory's eyes shot open. _Was it over yet?_

_6:45_

He sat still, concentrating to see if he could hear anything. The wind was blowing against the window and he could hear his brother's light breathing as he slept, still wrapped tightly around his own skinny frame. All appeared quiet, their dad must have already left or at least be completely knocked out from how much he drank. Rory's heartbeat sank a little as he relaxed, they were safe for now.

He slowly unwrapped Seamus' arms from around his waist, replacing himself with a pillow as his brother squirmed in his sleep in search for something to hold.

Rory liked to take this time in the mornings to get their stuff ready for school: clothes, books and and their clothes. Picking up two pairs of jeans, a shirt for himself and a t-shirt for Seamus. They didn't have an iron so Rory made do putting their clothes under his books to flatten them out.

He woke his brother up with a light tap on the shoulder. Seamus made an uncomfortable noise as he murmured in his sleep.

"Rise and shine, Champ." Seamus still refused to nudge until Rory gave him a warning, "I'll get this tickle monster on you. I will." Rory tickled his brother's stomach lightly and he soon woke up.

"Stop it! Not the tickle monster!" Seamus just managed to get out between little giggles. "Ror's! Stop!" He continued to laugh uncontrollably, so much so he was going red in the face. After a moment, Rory did as his brother asked and he hopped off the bed as quickly as possible to avoid anymore tickle monster attacks, making his way to the door, closely followed by Rory who unlocked it for them. Seamus still had trouble reaching the doorknob.

They made their way downstairs to the kitchen, dodging the beer puddle and broken glass left from their father's havoc the night before. The kitchen wasn't much to look at. The tiles were looking a little grotty having turned from what presumably used to be white. There was a hole under the counter where Rory had sold the dishwasher that came with the house for money that they needed for food. The only money their father earned was blew on a bottle of beer.

But now the dishwasher money was running out and Rory had spent any free time planning how to ration foods with the last ten dollars they had. They usually had to skip breakfast, though the school provided lunch, even if it was revolting. And they'd usually scrap together something for the evening meal as long as their dad didn't come back early like the night before.

Rory started cleaning up the shards of glass and the remains of the beer when Seamus perked up a question. "Ror's?"

"Uh huh" Rory replied, focusing more on the mess than he was his brother.

"When's it going to get better?" he said quietly, as though he wasn't sure if he was aloud to say it.

There was a long pause.

"W-what do you mean, champ?" Rory asked hesitantly.

Seamus took a little breath in, "I mean, when are we going to be a family? And do family stuff like Reece's family do. Or Danny's mammy does?" there was another long pause. "When will it get better, Ror's?" he repeated with what was left of a small glimmer in his equally blue eyes.

"I don't know" Rory answered honestly. He didn't want to lie to his brother about their situation anymore.

"Oh" Seamus said simply, looking down at the floor as he knotted his hands together nervelessly. "But where there's a will, there's a way, right? Just like you used t'a say. Right?"

Rory didn't want to answer. "How about you get changed, alright?" He said changing the subject, pointing over to the small pile of clothes. Seamus just sighed and without an answer, walked out of the room to get changed into the clothes Rory brought down with them.

Rory didn't want this to be their normal. He wanted a normal life, with money, food, a family.

_Family._

The word didn't mean as much as it used to.

* * *

Blaine's morning ran pretty well. He was up and dressed in record time and was out the door even earlier than usual. His hair was solidified perfectly in place, clad in a red checkered shirt, a one of his infamous bowties. _Today is one of those days that's just going to feel good, like, all day._ Blaine thought to himself as he walked from his bus stop to the school entrance. He arrived at school earlier than planned but thought to put this time to good use and sort out his incredibly messy locker which was looking more like a disaster zone as of the last few weeks.

When he turned the corner, he was surprised to find see someone running into the boy's locker rooms. Blaine wasn't one for being early, but he people weren't usually in school at a time like this. Most people would avoid school all together if they could.

He peered through the gap in the doorway as the door shut slowly by itself. He would recognize such a tall guy in green anywhere - but the question was, why was he in school so early. Blaine hesitated, pressing his ear to the door as he heard the chokes that slowly formed into sobs.

"Oh god, I can't take it. I can't." Rory mumbled to himself behind tears.

Blaine pondered for a moment how best to deal with the situation. But his mouth let slip, "Rory? A-are you okay?" Blaine pushed the door slowly as it made a loud creaking noise. His eyes met with a sad sight, Rory wiping away tears, trying to pretend like he wasn't upset. His cheeks were blotchy and his nose was red, it was obvious.

"Oh, Blaine. Mornin'" Rory weakly laughed off, wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "How are y'e?"

"I suppose I should be asking you them same question" Blaine closed the door shut behind him.

The look of panic that Rory had in the cafeteria the day before was shot back into his eyes as if it were replayed exactly. "Oh, erm, I fell over" he lied. Badly.

Blaine sighed a little, "Look, I know we've only know each other for what? Two days? But I know when something's up." Blaine took a seat next to Rory who shifted away a little in discomfort.

"Nothing's wrong, I just fell over, kind of embarrassing really, eh?"

"Right. Of course." Blaine said, mentally noting to deal with the subject later. "So, where's your first class?"

Rory's eyebrows furrowed as he thought to the back of his head. "I think it's art?" he questioned, not all the sure.

"With Mr. Miles?" Blaine said, feeling a little hope before Rory nodded in confirmation. "We're in the same class! We can go together if you want?"

"I didn't know you were a sophomore too?" Rory chimed, happy that the subject had been changed.

"I'm not, I'm a junior. But I enrolled here a couple weeks before you did so I have to redo some of my sophomore classes that have different school board curricular or something." Blaine shrugged before clamping a hand on Rory's shoulder. "We can get a head start to art, hm?"

"Yeah, sounds grand" Rory said quietly with a plastered smile that looked weak and fragile. This kid wasn't telling Blaine something anytime soon, he'd find out eventually.

* * *

About an hour later, the art lesson was in full swing with people darting around, deciding on plans for their new set project. A group project.

The thought of a group project would of scared the life out of Rory, as soon as he got to McKinley he was put on the bottom of the social ladder and finding anyone to even make eye contact with him was difficult. Blaine had the same problem, being openly gay at a homophobic school had it's problems. But luckily, Blaine and Rory were in the same position and paired up together.

"Okay, so if we're going to want to do this", Blaine traced the outline of their plans with his finger. "Then we'll probably need to spend some nights doing work over at each other's houses. We could use my house but it's a little far from school. Do you think we could use yours?"

Rory's heart sank into his chest with final words Blaine said. "I don't think going to my house would be the best idea" Rory said as he looked away, finding the floor extremely interesting.

Blaine thought of the recent events of this morning and how fragile Rory looked in the locker room, he didn't want to push any buttons, even if it were an accident. "Okay, well. My house it is."

Rory nodded, happy that his house was out of the question before remembering his brother. "Do you think we could pick up me brother along the way? I'm the only one who can pick him up from school. If I give him something t'a do, he'd be quiet and leave us t'a do the work and-."

"Yeah, of course." Blaine interrupted, with a wave of his hand. "No, it's fine."

"Thanks, Blaine!"

"No problem" Blaine wasn't usually one to attach himself into people's private lives, but from what Blaine could assume, there was a lot more to Rory than what meets the eye.

**A/N: Yay! So, sorry it took so long but I've been meaning to get this done forever. Probably fiveever. But I needed to mentally plot where the story was going and oh my god, I have the best ideas for some angst, oh god. Also, chapter four is already in the works and the blangst is painfully sad. Anyway, reviews are very, very appreciated - good or bad. Or even just leaving something you'd like to happen in the story. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: All aboard the angst train! I'm sorry I've been so long, it's really because I've been lazy to get my ideas across because I thought this story was starting to go nowhere until I had an idea come to me the other night, anyway, plenty of angst ahead. Enjoy.**

Blaine and Rory met outside McKinley, both with a bag full of the school's art supplies ready to get the project done. Luckily, Seamus' school was on the way to Blaine's house which conveniently for them meant less walking and more time to work. Even leaving McKinley on time got them to Seamus' school late and an all to familiar sight was played before them.

Seamus stood with his teacher outside the school gates, anxiously awaiting for his brother! "Rory!" Seamus called and pointed before picking his bag pack up off the floor.

"Mr. Flanagan" Mrs Adams said a little bit behind Seamus, who failed to see the any good side of waiting for Rory to show up.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. Again." Rory interrupted himself, screwing up his face in embarrassment.

"Well, you can't be expecting me to stand here every day waiting for you" she said sternly, folding her arms.

Rory hesitated, "I-I'm sorry" he quivered before Seamus ran over to him and wrapped himself around his brother's knees in a tight hug. Blaine couldn't help but bite his lip at just how cute this was, he wished Cooper ever had times like this with him.

"Let's try to keep meetings like this less frequent, hm?" Mrs Adams concluded, finally walking away back through the tall school gates.

Rory nodded and mouthed another sorry before she left, noticing a tug on his jeans, he looked at Seamus who whispered to him, "Who's that?" pointing at Blaine.

Rory smiled the change in conversation, "This is my friend, Blaine" Rory said looking over at Blaine who was taken over by how adorable his little brother was.

Seamus went on his tip-toes so he could say something a little quieter. "But I thought you said we're not allowed to have friends over the house?"

Rory gave a nervous laugh, it wasn't really something he wanted Blaine to know. He didn't even look at Blaine to see if he noticed "Ah, well, there's going to be a change of plans today, Champ" Rory said, ruffling his brother's hair. Seamus tilted his tiny head to the side in question. "I'm doing an art project with Blaine at his house, so do y'e mind keeping yourself busy while we do it?"

Seamus stopped in thought for a moment before giving a "Uh huh!" with a salute-like gesture.

Blaine piped up for the first time since Seamus joined them, "You can even play with my dog if you want." Again, he felt it almost impossible to not smile when Seamus reacted.

"You have a dog?!" Seamus' eyes lit up in awe, "Can I play with it, Ror's? Can I? Pleeeeeease! Please with a cherry on top?" he practically started bouncing a little.

"If Blaine says you can then of course you can!" Rory ruffled his brother's hair again, giving Blaine a thanking smile with an accompanied nod.

"I'm going t'a stroke it and play fetch with it and see how many tricks it knows and..." Seamus continued with an extremely long list of things he was going to do when Blaine spoke quietly to Rory.

"He's adorable!" Rory just laughed in agreement as they turned a corner on to an extremely high class street. All the houses were huge, all with perfect gardens and expensive cars. Rory felt a little out of place being there, but nevertheless followed Blaine until he stopped in his tracks, "This is mine!" Blaine said, pointing over to a house a few seconds away.

"Woah! That's huge!" Seamus exclaimed, letting go of the tight grip he has around Rory's hand in excitement. Blaine took lead, walking up the perfectly shaped drive-way, letting himself and his two Irish friends into the house. The home was beautiful, completely unlike the Flanagan home. The walls were white, with black canvases on the walls. A large set of stairs wrapped around the curved wall with a gold painted banister placed perfectly by its side. The house was magnificent. "C'mon, I'll take you to my room." Blaine waved a hand as he started up the stairs. Rory hadn't realised that he and Seamus stood still where they entered, still in awe.

They followed Blaine up the stairs and across the hall, eyeing every detail of the beautiful home. The hall was wide, covered with photos of the family but Rory noticed not one photo of Blaine which seemed rather odd for a family home, not that he knew much about it but still, it did seem strange. The two brothers followed Blaine into his room that was neat, tidy and sophisticated. "Right how about we get started?" Blaine said with a clasp of is hands.

* * *

A few hours passed and the floor was littered with cutouts, tissue paper and empty paint pots. It seemed Blaine and Rory had a lot more in common than they first thought, already hitting it off after what seemed like seconds. "You're really creative, you didn't seem the type." Blaine said as he cut around the page of a magazine.

"Cheers! You're quite the artist yourself." replied, looking up from what he was doing. Blaine smiled at the compliment, no one seemed to notice his artistic side.

Even though most of their conversation was small-talk, it didn't feel awkward at all. "Rory, do you, erm, mind if I ask you something." Blaine asked hesitantly. Rory just nodded, concentrating on drawing the shapes on his paper again. He chose to use his words wisely with Rory's brother sat on the other side of the room, luckily more interested in stroking the dog next to him. Blaine coughed nervously. "Earlier, when you seemed upset." He cleared his throat before lowering his voice. "I know you didn't just fall over and I thought-"

"I don't want t'a talk about it if that's okay!." Rory suddenly found himself speaking quite loudly, out of his comfort zone. "Family stuff" he murmured, noticing Blaine nod. Luckily, Seamus seemed not to notice.

"You're not alone, you know?" he put down his scissors, "We all have family issues." He sat a little more upright in his position. "My mom and dad don't approve of me performing or wanting to be on broadway. They want me to be a doctor or something. They've basically been ignoring me for the last few years." Blaine surprisingly produced a smile, "But I'm fine with it though, they still give me a place to live, food to eat. They can't hate me that much."

Blaine didn't even realise how truly numb he was with the subject. All the times he cried, wanting to have the chance to have his parent's approval had made him forget the feeling of longing, he shouldn't be used to it. But the sad truth was that he more than was. "They don't even know I'm gay. If my dad knew that, he'd probably have me out of the house." The smile instantly faded from his face, producing a sigh. Rory suddenly felt a lump in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to tell Blaine everything, finally get it all off his chest. But he couldn't tell anyone. He couldn't risk anything. "Rory. I'm open ears if you want to tell about it." Blaine knew when something was up and he was getting to the bottom of it. Tonight.

"Blaine, I, er" Rory started welling up. No. He wasn't going to fall apart in front of this guy he hardly knew. "I think I should get going. I'll see you-"

Blaine instinctively put his hand on Rory's shoulder. "Hey, hey, calm down. It's okay." Blaine hushed as Rory started to breathe heavily. Seamus suddenly looked up to see his brother panicking.

"Seamus!" Blaine called. "If you go downstairs, there's a big bowl of sweets. Why don't you go get yourself some?" Seamus may be young but he knew he was really being asked to leave politely. He left with Blaine's Golden Retriever following closely behind him.

"Look, Blaine" Rory looked around nervously. "I want t'a tell you everything but I can't. I just can't."

Blaine just paused before eventually nodding. He should of really thought about the fact him and Rory had only known each other for such a short time. "I'm sorry about pressuring you a bit there" Blaine said a little embarrassed.

"It's fine." Rory hushed, a little more coldly than he meant. "There's just stuff we have to keep to ourselves." Rory said before realizing he let a tear slipped during the conversation, already soaking into his cheek. "I suppose that's enough work done for today" he continued, looking down at the black and white collage in between them. "It looks good so far though!"

"Yeah. It does."

**A/N: Okay, Blaine'll have find out eventually, and I've left you some of Blaine's family angst there, but there's still plenty more to come, I'm just focusing on Rory's story first. Reviews are extremely motivating and always welcome. Thank you.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Right guys, it's time. Secrets are being revealed.**

It was the middle of October now and the autumn air had everyone bundled up from the cold in an array of coats, scarves and hats. It had been weeks since Rory and Blaine's first encounter and they had soon become close friends. Rory went around to Blaine's house almost every day, even after finishing the art project. They'd share stories and listen to music, the regular teenage ideal.

It took Blaine a little longer to find Rory this one autumn morning as he hustled in the hallway where their lockers were. He would usually meet with Rory in the morning, where they would walk to school together but Rory hadn't turned up today. "There you are!" Blaine said with a little sigh of relief as Rory showed up, nearlyan hour late. "Sorry I couldn't wait any longer this morning. Where were you?"

Rory opened his locker besides Blaine's. "Oh, erm, I slept in." Rory said. He found it easier to lie behind his locker door.

"Oh. That sucks." Blaine said, thinking nothing more of it. "Still, you got to miss first period with Mr. Baxter, eh?" he nudged Rory's shoulder playfully but was shocked to find Rory recoil back in pain with a hiss. Blaine screwed up his face a little. "It wasn't that hard." He looked a little confused.

Rory almost look embarrassed, "I must of slept on it funny. Sorry" Rory lied again, this time without the comfort of his locker to hide behind. He always was a bad liar.

Blaine gave him a look that said otherwise. "Rory." Blaine said calmly. "Let me see your arm." Rory started to panic a little. "What're you taking about. It's fine, really." Rory took a small step back before something hit him. _Hard._

All of a sudden shock of ice-cold pain hit his face. "Enjoy it, Irish!" shouted one of the passing jocks. Rory had just endured his first slushie facial and by the look on his face, he didn't enjoy it. The ice started to run down his shirt and sweater, the pain thickening at an alarming rate.

"Oh, god" Blaine huffed, used to this after being in a situation like this many times before. He pulled Rory out of the corridor and into the boy's locker room which was luckily empty, passing a group of laughing students.

He sat Rory down, going over to the sinks to get some paper towels. "The stinging goes away after a few hours" Blaine said as he sat Rory down, noticing the boy rub at his eyes. The amount of times he'd seen this happen to his friends made him feel sort of sick. The only upside being that he knew what to do in one of these recurring situations. "Here." He said, taking Rory's hoodie from around him, "You're already wet enough".

Without being able to stop Blaine, the soaked hoodie was taken from around Rory, leaving him in his now blue stained T-shirt. "If you need another sweater, you can always go to the drama department and-" Blaine stopped right in his tracks, a gasp protruding from him as he notices Rory's arm. It was littered in large purple and blue bruises and a few small cuts dotted around, it was incredibly swollen and looked far worse than the slushie. This looked serious.

"Rory. Who did this?" he chose to tread carefully with his words.

Rory stayed silent, he simply fixated his gaze at the ground.

"Was it the jocks?"

Rory sat still for a moment. "No." He said quietly.

Blaine narrowed his gaze. "You didn't do this to yourself, did you?"

"No." Rory said through his teeth, a little louder than he planned. The air suddenly felt a lot quieter. For what felt like hours, Rory finally spoke up.

_This is it. No more secrets._

"It was my dad." Rory said coldly, practically forcing his vision to stay glued to the ground. "He beat me up last night."

"He beat you-?" Blaine was lost for words. Sure he thought having his Dad ignore him was bad but this was something much worse.

"Again." Rory added coldly.

"A-again?" Blaine sounded completely astounded. How did he not know this was happening? Sure, he knew something was up, but this was horrible. "Rory." Blaine said, not knowing what to say. "You should tell someone about this. It looks real bad" he said, grazing hi fingers ever so slightly over the damage.

"No!" he shouted, pulling his arm away and standing up, not caring about all the ice that slid down his back from the slushie. Blaine recoiled back at Rory's sudden outburst. "You don't think I haven't thought it out?" Rory hushed, going back to his normal speaking volume. "If someone finds out, me and Seamus'll get sent t'a one of those homes. We don't have anyone else." Rory felt a tear slip from his eye, wiping it away with one of his shaking hands. He took a seat on the bench again, not looking his friend in the eye, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Blaine just stood there. He had no clue what to say. Rory had literally poured his heart out and Blaine didn't know what to do. He took a seat beside Rory who was almost in the midst of beginning to cry again. He didn't have any wise words like he usually did, he simply put his arm around Rory's shoulder. About ten minutes of silence passed before Blaine spoke up. "What happened with your Dad yesterday?" He asked quietly.

Rory sniffed up his tear, taking a breath. "Me and Seamus had just got back from your house..."

* * *

_The air was surprisingly warm as the Flanagan brothers walked home in the autumn breeze, both clad in almost matching light green t-shirts. Rory listened to one of Seamus' stories from his day at school as they walked hand in hand down to their house. "And then Zack said that he didn't get any of the shapes either so I had to explain all those to him too!" Seamus finished off with a little sigh. Rory would've responded at the best of times but what he saw in front of him was not the picture he wanted. His Dad's car was sloppily parked on the driveway._

_He was back before them._

_Rory started to feel the weight of his heart as it pounded in his chest. They continued to walk slowly until he got the door that was left ajar. He poked his head through the door to find only the path of destruction his father left. The trademark glass and splash of beer littered the floor, setting the scene. No clue had given Rory any inkling to which direction his father was, leading his hands to shake in fear._

_Seamus knew what the situation foreshadowed, even though they had been luckily enough to never be in this situation before. He was a smart kid. Rory squeezed his brother's hand a little tighter before creeping in the doorway and up the first few steps of his stairs. The floorboards instantly began creaking. The sound sent a shudder down Rory's spine, his heart pounding with each step that sounded louder than the last. He kept imagining his father appearing on the top of the stairs out of thin-air and attacking them. Letting his mind wonder into dark thoughts made the sweat on his brow continue to fill him with fear._

_They reached the top of the stairs, Seamus staying close to Rory's side. Rory looked either side of the hall. His father was nowhere. He had either left the house or was downstairs, passed out. Rory finally exhaled in relief. They were safe._

_Regardless of knowing his father had left, he rushed himself and Seamus into their room and locked it behind them with the key attached to the chain on his jeans. Rory crouched down to his brother's level, rubbing Seamus' shoulders. "You okay, Champ?" he asked. Seamus nodded in response, beginning to calm down from the fear that filled his small body. Rory was just about to stand up again when he suddenly felt his heart stop as he heard extremely heavy breathing. To deep and harsh to be his brothers. He turned around and saw a figure standing in the corner of their room. _No.

_A man with a messy hair and a bottle of beer stood in the shadows, his head was low, hiding his bloodshot eyes. "You fucking kids think you can just wonder the fuck into my house after what you did." The silhouette of their father started walking towards them. "After what _you_ did." He pointed at Seamus. The boy took a quick step back behind Rory who rightfully took a defending stance. "I've waited so long to beat you again. So long." He laughed devilishly. Walking close to them, backing them unconsciously into a wall away from the door._

_"You c-can't do this!" Rory tried to seem confident, though failed to do so under the fear that consumed him._

_"You're my sons. I'll do as I please." He slurred, merely a few inches away now._

_"We're not your sons." Rory cried, attempting to be as loud as he could muster under the pressure. "No father treats his sons like this." He pulled Seamus into his side to keep him as protected as possible._

_"I helped bring you in t'a this world and I can fucking bring you out of it as I please!" He threw his bottle of beer at the wall, the ring of the smash echoed in the silence. Rory felt shards of glass dig in his bare arms, cutting into his pale skin. Rory winced doing his best not to flinch. "And of course." Their father slurred as he began pushing up his sleeves, his towering body inches away. "I'll be starting with you. The warm up" he looked over at the trembling five year old boy who was gripping so tightly to his brothers legs that his knuckles had gone white. _

_"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Rory shouted pushing his father back away from them. He flew back into the door, they were still trapped. "Hit me as much as y'e want. But don't touch Seamus for Christ's sake! He's five year old!" Rory continued, his heart pounding, his brow sweating, every inch of his body shaking._

_His father laughed darkly. "You really think that'll stop me. That _thing_ is the reason it all fell to shit!" He ran at them, primarily for Seamus, but Rory took the blow. His breath went shallow, his eyes were shut, his side felt the pain. Their father attempted to push Rory aside, but he stood his ground._

_"If you want t'a hurt Seamus then you'll have t'a get through me first." Rory panted between harsh breaths._

_"My pleasure." The drunk ran at Rory, grabbing his hair and throwing him onto the floorboards below. The boy endured several kicks to the stomach. He wanted to fight back. He wanted to stop everything. But isn't wasn't something he was wired to do. His father pulled him up, Rory attempting to squirm his way free, but it was to much. He ran with Rory in his grasp to the wall, hitting Rory's back against it. The boy let out a cry of pain. His father started to punch at his side and arm. "Don't. Fucking. Underestimate. Me!" He said with each punch. Rory slumped against the wall, his vision distorted. All of his senses had just gone. And then it happened._

_A scream._

_Rory suddenly whipped back into consciousness as his brother shrieked. He ran at his father, shoving him away from his brother and pulling him to the door that was finally free. They ran. Ran for their lives._

* * *

"And then what?" Blaine asked, rubbing Rory's back as he continued to let years stream down his face as he retold the story.

"W-We just kept walking until we got to somewhere, anywhere. We ended up going to the park, sleeping under a tree.

Blaine just bit his sleep, he had so much he wanted to ask, but didn't know if Rory would feel comfortable. He took a breath in. "Rory, can I ask you something?"

Rory just wiped one of his tears away, nodding his head over so slightly, not entirely sure what the question would be.

"Your dad. He said that Seamus was why it all fell to sh-" he stopped himself, he wasn't one to say blasphemous words. "Why?" he finished softer, silently letting Rory know if he didn't want to answer, he had the right to do so.

Rory bit on his lip. "He, erm." He tumbled over his words, he never even thought about telling anyone this. But he trusted Blaine. "My mam, she died five years ago. She died during childbirth." He saw Blaine cover his mouth in shock when the light bulb lit up. "Y'know, Dad was fine before then, even after for a few years. But then he started drinking when we moved here about a year ago."

Blaine felt sick in the pit of his stomach. How could someone hurt someone so much? "Rory." He didn't really know where he was going with his conversation. "You need to tell someone. I know you don't want to but you could seriously get hurt." Blaine continued rubbing circles in his friends back. "You can stay at mine and Seamus too and we'll just-"

"Blaine. I can't." Rory interjected. "It's too much to ask."

"No it's not. Rory you're not safe and it's truly worrying. Just please."

Rory sat there still for a moment. Was he really going to be doing this? He'd never had anyone be so kind to him in years. So he made his decision, not for him, for the safety of his brother "Okay." Rory said, his eyes closed. "We need to get our stuff. There's not much but it's the only stuff we have."

"After school. We'll collect it all and get back to mine until we know you're safe." Blaine gave him a smile that promised it'd all get better. He stood up from the bench where they had sat for nearly an hour now.

"Blaine I- Thank you" Rory stood up too and hugged Blaine tight and began tearing up. Not from fear this time, but from gratitude. "Just, thank you."

**A/N: So, I hope I did the telling of Rory's secrets justice. But believe me, nothing's over yet. And thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story so far. It's actually my first proper story and I know it's not all that great but it means a lot that people actually take the time to read it, and then go ahead and review/favourite and follow it too! Just, yeah, thank you. (And wow, finally a chapter over 2,000 words...)**


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